Dr. Poyner-Del Vento earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Simon Fraser University in 2013; his area of study was couples and family psychology. Prior to attending SFU, he studied at Fordham University in New York City, earned a master’s degree in childhood education, and taught second grade in the South Bronx. His dissertation at SFU focused on how couples and families collectively cope with stressful circumstances by supporting each other, and how depression and stress can impact intimate relationships over time. After earning his Ph.D., he completed specialized training at the Portland VA Medical Center in Oregon and Charleston VA Medical Center in South Carolina. While in the VA system, he worked extensively with U.S. military veterans suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. He assessed individuals with suspected cognitive challenges (e.g., from traumatic brain injury, substance use, or dementia). He worked with couples and families experiencing relationship distress, parents facing challenges with their children, and caregivers of loved ones with terminal illnesses. He has published his scholarly work in psychological journals and has presented at several psychology conferences across North America.

Dr. Poyner-Del Vento brings to the group practice his expertise in evidence-based psychotherapy. He mostly works with individuals in high-stress occupations (e.g., active military members, retired veterans, RCMP officers, paramedics, and firefighters). He offers psychotherapy for PTSD, including Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). He also offers cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.

In addition to individual therapy, Dr. Poyner-Del Vento offers couples therapy for relationship distress. He primarily uses Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) in his approach with couples and families but is also trained in other approaches (e.g., Behavioral Couples Therapy).

In terms of assessment, Dr. Poyner-Del Vento provides psychological assessments for individuals who have had recent workplace injuries (medical- or stress-related). He also provides psycho-vocational assessments for individuals looking for a job but are having problems finding or sustaining employment. Finally, he provides neuropsychological assessments for individuals with cognitive challenges (e.g., problems with attention, memory, or executive functioning) with a variety of histories (e.g., mild concussion; severe brain injury; stroke; dementia).